1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to systems, methods, and apparatuses for compacting, settling, and/or dispensing contents of a container and, more particularly, to systems, methods, and apparatuses employing vibration to compact, settle, and/or dispense the contents of the container.
2. Description of the Background
Various vehicles, for example semi tractor-trailers, haul containers that carry product that is very difficult to remove from the container once the vehicle has reached a drop-off facility. For example, dried distillers grain (DDG), which is a by-product of manufacturing ethanol, is light and fluffy and is difficult to remove from a container. The time it takes to empty DDG or other products from a container is precious to a transportation company and its truckers whose interests are best served by returning the vehicles to transport service in the least amount of time. Vibrators have therefore been used to and in compacting, settling, and dispensing product from containers to thereby reduce the time it takes to remove such product.
One type vibrator is permanently attached to the container. When the vehicle arrives at a plant at which the product is to be unloaded, the vibrator is connected to a plant pressurized air source and the vibrator is operated, as necessary, to unload the product. Another vibrator is portable and selectively attachable to the container for vibrating different areas of the container to compact, settle, and dispense product from the container. The vibrator may be moved depending on the location of the product within the container. The portable vibrator can be connected to a plant pressurized air source. While vibrators that are connectable to a plant pressurized air source are useful, a vehicle is not always in the vicinity of a plant pressurized air source. Current vibrator systems, therefore, cannot always be used depending on the location of the drop-off facility in relation a plant pressurized air source.